A new study has found that online weight-loss programs can improve the outcomes for participants in fitness programs. This study reveals a key fitness success secret that is very often overlooked but when used correctly has been proven to increase success by 50%.

A recent study included 179 people taking part in Shape Up RI, an annual online 12-week community weight-loss competition in Rhode Island.

In one arm of the study, volunteers were assigned to the standard Shape Up RI program which included video lessons on weight loss. In the second study, participants in the same standard Shape Up RI program but were provided with a system that they made daily entries in which in return provided computer-generated feedback.

Participants who lost 5 percent or more of their body weight were more than three times more successful in the second study arm — 40.5 percent versus 13.2 percent, according to the report. An explanation? For those who are working on weight loss, just writing down everything you eat is a pretty powerful technique. Being accountable forces you to answer to yourself at the end of every day. And the person you want to let down the least is usually you… So if you commit to journaling each day, you’ll quickly get tired of writing about poor results and start doing something about it.

It helps the participants see where the extra calories are coming from, and then develop more specific plans to deal with those situations, the technique also helps hold dieters accountable for what they are eating, providing clarity and motivation.

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